Chapter 33 - The Last Goodbye
It was a typical spring day in the modern metropolis that was Castelia City. Weather or season hardly ever affected the constant flow of humans, vehicles and Pokémon in this sprawling city, but at least people could go about their day with a smile on their face and no rain falling on their heads. Two Pikachu were walking down the road next to the city's large port. One was positively beaming. She was very excited, and happy to begin the second-last leg of her long journey home.
The other was staring at the city around him in utter shock. It was a marvel that he could even get his legs to move. Taka's wide eyes and even wider mouth had not closed since the moment he had laid eyes on the collection of massive skyscrapers. He looked like he was in a daze.
Roxy snickered and bumped him with her hindquarters. "Snap out of it or you're gonna run into a street sign."
"I…never imagined…"
"Yes, Taka, so you've said about 50 times now."
"Never…imagined…anything like this…"
She couldn't help but giggle. It was one of the few times that Taka's mask was slipping and she could see the more raw emotions underneath. Taka looked like a newborn cub who was seeing the beautiful world for the first time in his life. It was kind of adorable.
"How could…? There is so much…!" Taka murmured.
"That's humans for ya," Roxy replied, "They imagine, they build, they live."
"How many humans live in this city?"
"Ohhh, uhhh…" Roxy said, stalling for a moment as she tried to remember the answer, "About…seven or eight million?"
Taka stopped walking and held a paw to his forehead.
"Taka? What's up?"
"Ah…Nothing…" He shook his head and then took a few more steps, but then stopped and held his paw to his forehead again. "Ugh…"
"What's wrong?" Roxy asked in concern.
"Nothing."
"Taka…" She said sternly.
He sighed and relented. "I feel dizzy…"
Roxy at first frowned, but a moment later smiled sympathetically when she realized what was going on. "You've got vertigo from looking up at the skyscrapers too much. Sorry, I guess this really is a bit overwhelming, huh?"
Taka merely closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his muzzle.
"Here, turn around and look at the ocean instead."
He nodded and followed her instructions, and both Pikachu ended up standing there for a moment looking at the various different types of watercraft in the Castelia Harbor. There were Butterfree in Roxy's stomach. One of those boats was going to take her home…
"So?" Roxy asked, turning to look at Taka, "What'cha think?"
"…To be completely honest, it does not feel real. I am picturing what lies behind me, and my mind is trying to tell me it is but a fantasy…"
Roxy giggled at that. "Yeah, Castelia's one of the biggest cities in the whole world. It's not the biggest of them all, but it's still pretty massive."
"How long did all of this take…?"
"Oh gosh, I dunno. A couple hundred years at least… I think this used to be an old trading post or something, and it just grew and grew and grew!"
Instead of replying, Taka just stared out at the sea. There was a contemplative look on his face.
"What?"
"So, this is what happens when death does not hide behind every tree?"
Roxy blinked once, and then a frigid shiver ran up her spine. "Y-yeah…That's what it means to be the top of the food chain."
"Clearly…"
On that rather somber note, the two lapsed into silence for a couple moments and just stared at the sea. There was constant noise all around them, a wild cacophony of human voices, Pokémon cries and machinery. It could hardly be called relaxing, even when this close to the crisp smell of the ocean.
"So…What can be found in this city?" Taka asked.
"Hm? Oh, well pretty much every city on the globe has at least some of the same stuff. You're almost guaranteed to find a Pokémon Center, a Pokémon Mart, a police station, and a hospital. There's a good chance you'll find a library somewhere, and oftentimes a Pokémon Gym. There's one here somewhere, I think…
"Beyond that, I know there's an art gallery here. I dunno, you might enjoy that, but I don't think Pokémon are allowed inside. There's Castelia Cones, as I said. There's some places to get good food, a nice big park, and a big place called a 'University' where humans go to learn. I'm not sure, but I think there's also a big video game development studio here…"
Taka watched her silently as she spoke, and then nodded when she was finished.
"Lots of fun stuff to do! You'd get a better answer if you ask someone who actually lives here!" she said, and then gave him a friendly grin. A moment of thought passed, and her grin faded away. "Hey…" she then said, "Are you gonna be all right here…?"
"Hm?"
"Y'know…" She lowered her gaze to the ground and mumbled the next few words. "…After I'm gone…?"
She thought she saw Taka's face harden as he realized what she meant, but he glanced away. It took him a noticeably long time to form an answer. "I will admit, it is very beneficial to have you by my side while I am out here. You know this world better than I ever could…" He then closed his eyes and shook his head. "I will be fine, though."
"Is there anything I can do before we…" She trailed off before finishing the statement.
"Like what?"
"I don't know…Anything you want to know? Anything you want me to explain?"
"…I cannot think of anything off the top of my head, no."
"It's a big city, Taka. I don't want you to-"
"Roxy," he spoke up, interrupting her, "Do not worry about me. The important thing is for you to get home. Do not lose sight of your goal now that you are so close."
"I, uh…" Roxy frowned as she gazed up at his stern but not unfriendly gaze.
"Now, come. You need to figure out which of these boats to get on." He took a few steps in the direction of the harbor and turned to give her an encouraging tilt of his head.
Roxy glanced behind him at all of the ships both moored to the harbor, and floating in the waters. In her heart, she knew that Taka was right. He was a strong Pokémon and he could take care of himself, while she still didn't know what her next step was. So, she gave him a nod as she stepped past him and made her way down to the docks.
The Castelia City Harbor was fairly busy, but not as busy as the rest of the city. It wasn't too much trouble to travel to the different piers so Roxy could read the signs next to each of them. She saw the daily service ferries to Liberty Garden and Unity Tower, as well as a few larger ferries headed for nearby cities and islands. As they moved towards the east, they even got a view of the absolutely massive Royal Unova cruise ship sitting at the dock. Roxy had heard stories about how wonderfully luxurious a ride on that ship was.
It was at the second-last pier of the harbor, after Roxy had started to get a little bit worried, that she found what she was looking for. "Ah!" she perked up once she saw the sign, "Oh my gosh, this is it!"
"What?" Taka said, walking next to her and gazing up at the sign in confusion, "What does it say?"
"PokéTravel Cruise Lines: Explore Kanto aboard the Splendour of Unova. Departing for Vermillion City – April 3."
Roxy gasped at her good fortune. "That's tomorrow!" she shouted excitedly to Taka. She knew what day it was from reading a newspaper back in Aspertia, and the current date was April 2nd.
"This boat is going to your home, and it leaves tomorrow?" Taka asked, confirming what she was saying.
"Uh huh!" she said as she nodded her head enthusiastically. In truth, Roxy hadn't known what to expect at this harbor. It could have been the case that she would have had to transit to other cities on the way home, perhaps a whole lot, or if there was one going to Vermilion, that it wouldn't leave for a number of days. This, however, was very fortuitous!
"I see," Taka commented, "And you are certain that this is going to your intended location?"
"Yeah! Right there!" She pointed up at one of the words. "Vermillion. That's my home!" She then stifled a squeal and waved her paws excitedly. "I'm gonna be home in a couple of days!"
Taka nodded. "Well then, that is indeed good news. I am happy for you."
Roxy turned to look at Taka, a huge smile plastered on her face, but then reality started to return to her. Her smile faded away as she realized the fact that this blessing was a double-edged sword. It was true that she would get to set out for home in less than 24 hours.
That also meant, however, she had less than 24 hours left to spend with Taka.
After a moment of somewhat awkward silence, Roxy cleared her throat. "Right," she said, "I just gotta make sure I'm back here early tomorrow morning so I don't miss it."
"I will make sure you are here on time."
"Thanks. What, uh…What should we do until then…?"
"…I would not mind finding something to eat."
"Okay, yeah. Right," Roxy said with a nod, "Yeah, sure, we can do that! And then I can show you around the city, just so you won't get lost…later…" She hid a frown from him by glancing away.
"Very well."
In the end, the day passed rather unceremoniously. They had found some food, explored the city, and even ventured over to look at the Skyarrow Bridge. The whole time, Roxy kept wanting to do something special; something exciting that they would both remember forever. It was the last day they were going to spend together, and she was probably never going to see him again.
However, that notion never got past the drawing board. It had been a fun day, of course, and it seemed like Taka had genuinely enjoyed himself. Throughout the day, though, Roxy found she just couldn't shake the thought that he was going to be gone soon. The last hours of their companionship were ticking away, and it constantly felt like she wasn't making the most of them.
Now it was nighttime. The two had made their way to the rooftop of a skyscraper, where they planned to spend the night. The moon was overhead, the city was still just as loud down below, and Roxy found herself simply lying on her side with a distant expression on her face.
Her excitement upon realizing she was about to go home had lasted only a couple of minutes. Now, she was having trouble getting excited at all. Her desires hadn't changed, and she never once doubted that the only thing she wanted to do was to go home.
Still, though, she couldn't help but feel depressed.
Even though it had only been six months, Roxy felt like she had known Taka forever. She felt like she couldn't remember a time without him somewhere nearby. No matter how rocky their relationship had started out as, she had really and truly grown to see him as a close friend. He had done so much to help her over the months, and she had an endless amount of things to thank him for. He had been her constant companion for the dangerous journey through the forest.
To tell the truth, Roxy didn't want him to leave her side.
"Get some sleep."
Roxy started slightly, and rolled over to look at Taka who was standing by her side.
"The last thing you want to do is oversleep and miss that boat," he said to her. He was wearing his most classic facial expression; one that was completely neutral and devoid of any emotion. She was certain he was feeling some sort of emotion underneath, but that mask of his was perfect.
"Oh. Yeah, of course…"
Taka took a seat a few metres away from her and promptly curled up into a comfortable sleeping position. Roxy hesitated for a few moments before doing the same. It was a little chilly out, but no colder than she had experienced while sleeping in trees the last couple of weeks. Either way, she couldn't wait to spend a night in her own little bed. Oh, how she missed it.
It was a clear night overhead, though, allowing Roxy to see the moon and the stars. While she had glimpsed them before, it was wonderful to see them without a blanket of trees obscuring her vision. It was just one of the many little things that she never realized how much she had missed. Now she could see them in all their infinite splendour. A vast, endless expanse that seemed to be both frightening and beautiful, and she felt like she could see it all.
"…Taka?"
"What?"
Roxy fidgeted with her paws for a moment, unsure about whether to go ahead with her query or not. "Um…" she mumbled in a quiet voice, "What do you think…Makari would say if he was with us right now?"
When at first all she got in response was silence, Roxy visibly cringed. She feared that she had struck a sour chord and had made Taka upset. The thought didn't exactly make her smile either, but she was afraid she had crossed another line.
"He would not be able to sleep," Taka finally responded.
"Huh…?" Roxy uttered confusedly.
"…for he would not be able to stop telling you how proud he is."
Roxy actually rolled over to look at him upon hearing that response. She saw that he was curled up and facing away from her. "…Really?" she peeped.
Taka chuckled, and she thought she could hear a bit of mirth in his voice. "Does that not sound like him?"
"I…Yeah, I suppose it does…" Roxy said as a bittersweet smile graced her lips.
"There are all these marvelous wonders of the human world around us, but his eyes would stay fixed upon you. I can picture him saying something like 'Nothing these humans have built is as beautiful, or as amazing as you are.'"
Roxy blushed a little. "He was a sweet-talker…"
"I…" Taka actually trailed off for a moment, catching Roxy by surprise. When he spoke next, there was just a touch of melancholy in his tone. "He would have thanked you endlessly for saving my life…"
A brief shudder ran up her spine as she recalled the incident with the Seviper. "I-I'm sure he would've saved you much better than I could've…"
"Perhaps, but perhaps not…"
There was a fairly long pause, and Roxy returned to lying on her back and looking up at the stars.
"He was worried…" Taka's voice floated through the air once more.
Roxy turned her head to look in Taka's direction. "Huh? What d'you mean?"
"He was worried quite a lot actually…He would always hide it from you, but he shared this fact earnestly with me."
"But…Worried about what? Makari never got worried about anything!"
"He was afraid that he would fail you, Roxy," Taka replied, speaking softly, "He was worried that he would make a mistake, slip up somehow, and end up getting you hurt or worse. He had always been a confident Pokémon, but it seemed there was never confidence enough when it came to making sure you were safe and happy. Failing you was a frightening thought that rarely left him alone."
Taka's words rested in her mind for a moment, and she slowly rolled onto her back to face the stars again. She felt so incredibly touched by the thought that Makari cared about her safety that much. "Wow…" she whispered.
"He was one of a kind."
"…Hey, Taka?" Roxy spoke up after a pause, "Makari would have been really proud of you too. The journey through that forest is really difficult, but you did it three times! That's incredible, Taka, and I know that Makari would have been so proud to call you his brother. I'm sure…up there, he still is."
Taka sighed softly. "I like to think so…"
The conversation faded away for a moment, and Roxy spent a few minutes just listening to the sounds of the city that never slept. Despite how noisy it was, it all sort of blended together into a white noise and was soothing in a strange sort of way.
"I hope you know, that…" Roxy spoke up once more. She hesitated for a moment, but then continued. "I never met him," she said, "but…Izuki would have been really proud of you too. What you've done for me is so selfless, and he struck me as the kind of Pokémon who would really value that."
Taka responded with silence, and Roxy frowned. Yet again there was that fear that she had overstepped a boundary. She knew that Taka was still not completely at peace with losing Izuki, but she felt that needed to be said.
"…Thank you."
Roxy's ears perked up in surprise when she heard those two simple words leave Taka's mouth.
"Now get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow."
She turned her head and stole one last glance at the other Pikachu. He was still curled up, and hadn't looked in her direction once during this whole conversation. Still, though, she smiled. They had both been through a lot of pain, yet were both still here today breathing. Roxy was proud of herself for getting this far, and just as proud of Taka for all that he had done. At the end of the day, they both had exciting lives that would continue forth, and would have many amazing stories to tell for years to come.
Finally, Roxy rested her head and closed her eyes. She did, after all, have a big day tomorrow. It was a day that didn't exactly look bright in her future, despite the golden dream it would eventually lead to. So, instead, Roxy chose to focus on the present.
She could sleep soundly, knowing she and Taka had made it this far and managed to survive everything life had thrown at them.
"That…is a big boat."
Roxy's neck hurt, because she had to lean it so far back just to see the entirety of the cruise ship she was about to board. It was massive, easily dwarfing the tiny little dock it was moored to. Roxy supposed it had to be this large for a voyage that would span the length between two continents. She didn't know how long a cruise from Unova to Kanto was, but her guess was that she would be on the water for about eight days.
Still, though…That was a big boat.
"That…thing floats on the water…?" Taka asked, disbelief clearly evident in his voice.
"Yeah. It's floating right now."
"You are certain that this humongous…thing is going to remain afloat as it crosses that-" Taka gestured towards the ocean and the horizon. "-and take you all the way home."
Roxy shook her head to clear away her dizziness and regarded Taka. "Yeah, no, of course it will! I'm not worried about it, Taka. I know cruise ships like this. People and Pokémon ride them all the time. It's just I've…never seen one this close before…"
"Hm…"
"Or one this big… other than the Royal Unova!"
The dock was full of activity. Tons of humans were milling about, some of them working and some of them passengers that were about to board the ship. Roxy saw a lot of families hugging each other and saying goodbye. There was a whole plethora of Pokémon too, some of them pets and some of them trained Pokémon that were simply out of their Poké Balls. It was very easy to blend in with the crowd, even with their unusual markings.
Roxy was leading Taka to the far end of the dock, where the front of the ship was pointed out to sea. She could see along the way plenty of mooring lines attached to the side of the ship, securing it to the dock.
"Are you sure climbing one of these is the best course of action?" Taka asked, "We have not had to sneak into places before because of these things on our necks."
Roxy shook her head. "This is different than something like the library. Humans and Pokémon have to sign up in advance to get on a ship like this. There's humans on the gangway over there, and they're making sure everybody, human and Pokémon, who gets on has a ticket. Obviously, I don't have one."
"I see…"
Eventually the two of them reached the very end of the dock. There were far less people at this end, since they were mostly gathered around the gangway. They made their way over to the very last moor and slipped behind it, which gave them as much privacy as they could get on such a busy dock.
"Well, uh…" Roxy murmured, "Here I am…"
Roxy and Taka now stood at the end of a mooring line that was tied around the moor next to them. The other end was attached to a point just below the bow of the ship, through a small opening just barely large enough for Roxy to squeeze through. The final challenge of her journey, getting aboard the ship undetected, was right in front of her.
"Indeed…" Taka replied.
Roxy glanced up at the mooring line for a moment, and then turned to look at Taka. He looked back at her, his expression a mask of neutrality as it usually was. "Um…" she muttered, "Gee, I guess this is it…huh?"
Taka glanced up the mooring line as well, and then gave her a short nod.
'What now?' Roxy thought, 'This is the very, very last time you're ever gonna see him, so what're you supposed to do…?' She fidgeted and rubbed the back of her neck, finding herself at a complete loss for words.
"I, uh…" she eventually said, "I guess I should…um…" After a few seconds of fumbling over her words completely, Roxy sighed in exasperation and shook her head. She then simply stepped forward and wrapped her forelimbs around Taka, giving him a friendly hug.
Taka stiffened in response, hesitated, and then hugged her back.
When she stepped back, Roxy tried to smile as she looked at him. "I'm gonna miss you so much…" she said, speaking straight from her heart, "For how awful a lot of it has been, it was really nice to meet you, and the tribe, and getting to spend time with you. I'm never gonna forget you!"
Taka hummed for a moment, and then spoke. "I suppose I would be lying if I said I would not miss you as well. You have made an impact on my life in many ways."
"I wish I could write to you, or talk to you somehow…" Roxy lamented. A feeling of hurt was brewing in the pit of her stomach. This wasn't the first time Roxy had bid farewell to someone. Quite a few of her friends from the neighbourhood had moved away and she hadn't seen them since. The difference was that the human world had video phones and quick ways to send messages to each other. It was so easy that even a Pokémon could do it.
This likely would not be the case with Taka, and it definitely wouldn't be the case for the rest of the Thunder Clan in their isolated village.
Taka shook his head. "Memories may be all that either of us have, but it will be enough. No matter what happens in the future, it cannot change what happened in the past."
Roxy sighed as she started to feel empty and depressed. It was a really weird feeling to describe. Her desire to go home was just as strong as it had ever been, if not even stronger for how close she was. Though she would miss him greatly, Roxy had no desire to stay with him or to go traveling with him.
Rather, she just didn't want to have to leave him.
When she felt something wet running down her cheek, she chuckled dryly and wiped the tear away with her paw. "I'm still a crybaby…" Roxy murmured.
"Roxy, there is no need for tears," Taka commented, "You are finally going home. You are going to see your family again…" Taka's voice trailed off for a moment as he glanced away. "I am sure your family…misses you very much."
Roxy shook her head and said, "No. I'm going home no matter what. Nothing can stop me." She then paused and hung her head a little. "I just wish it didn't have to be so hard…"
Now it was Taka's turn to dryly chuckle. "Nothing worth doing is ever easy."
"I know…"
"Sometimes it seems like things are impossible, or there is no right choice, or that whatever you do, it will leave you feeling unhappy… Times like those, you simply have to ask yourself what it is you want." Taka then looked her in the eyes once more. "You know what you want. Correct?"
Roxy blinked and then nodded. "I want to go home…"
To her surprise, a tiny smile graced the edge of his lips. "Then go home. Worry not about me, Roxy. I will be just fine."
She knew that what he'd said was meant to be uplifting, and it was meant to make her feel better about the fact that they were about to part ways. Even so, she couldn't help but sob a little louder.
"I…wouldn't be standing here right now if it wasn't for you…" she said through her sobbing, "I would have been dead on the very first day…Zangoose food…You and your brother both did so much for me, and even when he was…gone and things got strained between us, you still kept on helping me. I know it hasn't really been that long, but it feels like you're a part of my life now. That's why it hurts so much…"
"Roxy, I would not be standing here if were not for you. You still do not give yourself enough credit. You say that I am a part of your life? Well, that is fine, but is anything going to change that? Even if we are parted, I will still be in your thoughts and your memories."
Roxy sniffled. "I know…It still hurts so much though…"
"It will, for a time, but you will get past it," Taka replied, "That…is something you taught me."
She blinked at him through her tear-filled eyes, and realized that he was talking about Makari.
"And you will have someone to help you through it. You will have…your family."
"I just wish it didn't have to be like this…"
Taka simply shook his head, and then took a step forward and laid a paw on her shoulder. "You have been away long enough," he said in an eerily calm voice, "It is time to go home."
A few quiet moments passed by between the two of them. Roxy stood there, wordlessly looking at Taka as tears continued to run down her cheeks. She knew that it hurt right now, but she also knew that it would hurt even more if she did not get on that boat and go home. As her thoughts drifted towards home, and the overjoyed face of her master once the two were finally reunited, Roxy slowly began to smile through her tears.
When she focused back on Taka, she saw that he looked contemplative. She gave him an inquiring look, so he spoke. "Perhaps one day…I will understand the kind of love you hold for…" He trailed off for a moment and glanced behind him. Roxy saw him cast a distrustful gaze at the human dockworkers behind him. "…a human."
"…Give them a chance," she said once he was facing her again, "They're not all bad."
Taka simply nodded.
Roxy paused in thought for a moment, and then spoke up again. "Taka…? Can you promise me one thing?"
"Hm?"
She gave him an earnest look. "I don't know if it will ever happen but…If you do return to the Thunder Clan someday…please tell them I made it home safely, and that I miss all of them every day and think about them constantly. Tell them there's not enough time in the world for me to thank them enough for everything they've done, and…" Roxy bit her lip. "Even though you don't really like it, can you…give Miri a hug?"
Roxy saw mixed emotions behind Taka's mask as she said this. When she was done with her request, he gave her a nod and said, "I will."
"Thank you…" She gave him a smile.
"Hey! You two!"
Both Pikachu's ears sprung up and they quickly turned towards the unexpected voice. Taka nearly dropped right into a combat position, while irrational fears started to flood Roxy's mind as if she had just been caught doing something illegal.
The Pokémon that had snuck up behind them amidst the loudness of the port was a very large Machamp. Roxy did relax just a little when she saw that he was wearing a vest with the Castelia City Harbor's logo on it and realized he was a dockworker. Taka only eased up once he saw that she did.
"If you two don't hurry, you're going to miss the boat," he said, pointing one of his four arms towards the gangway.
Roxy fully relaxed once she realized that he was just trying to be helpful and thought that they were a pair of lost passengers. "Oh, right," she said to him, "Thank you."
Unfortunately, this didn't make him leave. "Departure is in a couple of minutes. They are going to raise the gangplank soon, and once that happens you will be left behind. Have your owners bo-"
Roxy loudly cleared her throat to interrupt him. "Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude, but…" She gestured towards Taka with a raised eyebrow. "My mate and I were trying to share a 'private goodbye' before I have to leave."
She saw Taka give her an incredulous expression, but she furtively tapped him on the back with her tail to shut him up.
Her statement seemed to have the intended effect on the Machamp, as his face turned just a hint redder and he said, "Oh! I, beg your pardon. I did not mean to intrude…" Then, without another word, he turned and left.
Roxy sighed in relief once he was gone. She did need to board soon, and she didn't want any Machamp around to watch her stow away on board the ship.
"Your 'mate'?"
Taka's question caused her to flush suddenly and quickly turn to face him. "Ah, heh heh…" she chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck, "Thank goodness I didn't have to actually kiss you to convince him…"
It took him a moment. "…Oh. So you were making it look like-"
"Yeah."
"When you were actually-"
"Yup."
Cue awkward silence.
"Yeah, so…" Roxy glanced over her shoulder at the large ship behind her for a moment. "I actually should get on board now. It's going to leave soon."
"Indeed. The time has come."
Roxy hesitated for a short moment, and then reached out her paw towards him. She wasn't crying anymore. It was as if the reality of what she was about to achieve was finally settling in. Losing Taka would hurt, but she was going home. It was finally given a chance to make her feel excited again.
Taka took her paw and shook it without pause. "Return home, brave warrior," he said to her, "Make your master proud."
She nodded. "I just…Y'know, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me. You, and your brother, and the whole tribe…You've been so amazing and so great…and just…I…"
"Roxy," Taka said, interrupting her with a semi-serious look, "Do you recall why there is no speaking at our tribe's funerals?"
At first she was caught off-guard by the seemingly random question. "Uh…Because the…deceased's accomplishments should be able to stand on their own without being spoken?"
Taka nodded, a small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
She chuckled. "You're right, Taka. I've babbled on too much already, haven't I?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Perhaps…"
Roxy sighed softly and gave him a smile. "Just…Thank you."
"And thank you for everything you have done as well."
His response made her glance away bashfully. Before either of them could say anything else, though, the air was suddenly filled with a nearly-deafening blaring sound. Roxy jumped in surprise before realizing it was the cruise ship's foghorn, while Taka was so startled he had dropped onto all fours and drawn his boomerang. Roxy giggled a little at his antics and wished she could explain to him what the noise was, but knew that she couldn't.
"That's my ride," she said, slightly regretfully, "I gotta go."
Taka relaxed and glanced up at the ship once, seeming to realize it had been where the sound had originated from. "Ah. Yes, you had better hurry before someone sees you."
"Goodbye, Taka."
"Farewell, Roxy. Safe journey home."
There was a split second where a pain shot through Roxy's heart, now that the moment had truly come and she had no choice but to leave his side. She wanted to rush forward and give him one last warm hug, but she knew that she truly did not have time. Her priorities straightened out in her head, she quickly turned on the spot and hopped onto the thin mooring line.
Traversing the thin rope was about as easy as balancing on a tree branch, so Roxy didn't have any trouble. She stole a quick glance to her left, and saw that pretty much all of the dockworkers were busy removing the gangplank. No-one was looking in her direction, so she took her chance before she could lose it. She dashed up the line as quick as she could.
About halfway up the line, something compelled her to pause and look over her shoulder. She saw Taka still standing there, watching her go. She held his gaze for about a second before quickly dashing up the rest of the mooring line. Once she reached the side of the ship, she quickly got to work on squeezing herself through the tiny hole that the mooring line fed into. It was tighter than she had expected, and it took some wriggling before she managed to pop herself inside.
Roxy found herself in what she described as the 'innards' of the ship. She was surrounded by piping and the internal structuring of the boat. Her only source of light was the hole she'd just climbed through, and the smell was decidedly less than pleasant. The rope she had just climbed was attached to a winch-like device, which looked like it would 'spool' the line up once it was released from the dock.
Once she was certain no-one had seen her, since no-one was shouting to go and catch her, she decided to poke her head back out of the hole. She looked down at the dock and saw Taka, but only for a brief moment. As soon as she laid eyes on him, he suddenly darted away and hid himself behind some crates stacked on the dock nearby.
The reason soon became clear, as a dockworker was making his way down the dock and releasing all of the mooring lines. She watched him untie the line next to hers, and watched as it was practically 'slurped' up by the winch inside the boat. She then ducked her head down before the worker could get to her line.
After a moment, she saw the line go slack and heard a gentle splash as the rope fell in the water. She waited a few seconds, but nothing else happened. Curious, she carefully peeked out of the hole again, and saw that the rope was dangling loosely in the water below. The dockworker had already disappeared. Roxy turned and looked at the winch behind her, but it wasn't moving. It didn't even look like anything was powering it. Perhaps this one was malfunctioning?
Her thoughts were interrupted when her eardrums nearly blew out a second later. The cruise ship had blown its foghorn again, and the sound was magnified to the extreme in her small, confined spot. She quickly clamped her forepaws over her ears and grimaced.
She immediately got a headache.
Roxy waited almost three whole minutes just sitting there with her ears covered, in case the horn would sound again. Thankfully, though, it didn't. She uncovered her ears, and then realized that she could hear the hum of the ship's engine. The cruise ship was about to depart.
Elation flooded through her. The fact that she had now successfully stowed away on board the cruise ship was becoming real to her, and she let out a quiet but triumphant cheer. Another obstacle successfully passed. The hum of the motor meant that, any moment now, she would be beginning her journey the rest of the way home.
Roxy poked her head out of the hole again, and was surprised to see that the boat was already moving. It was quite slow, but the dock was starting to drift to the right as the boat leisurely began to depart to sea. Roxy scanned the dock for Taka, and found that he had returned to standing next to the moor that her line had been tied to.
He was looking up at her, watching her go. Her joy started to melt into a bittersweet feeling as she watched him slowly drift away, even though it was actually her that was drifting away. The main area of the dock was full of families, human and Pokémon alike, all waving goodbye to passengers that were on the boat. Roxy only cared about the singular Pikachu at the end of the dock, though. Already the boat was starting to speed up, taking her away from him faster and faster.
Then, he raised a paw and started waving goodbye. Roxy's heart caught in her throat at the sight. With a sentimental smile, she leaned out of the hole as far as she dared and lifted her own paw to wave back to him. A couple more tears rolled down her cheeks, but her smile never faltered.
A sudden and very powerful gust of wind ruined the moment by nearly making her topple right out of the hole and into the water. Roxy yelped, caught off guard as the sudden blast of air dislodged her forepaw from the edge and gravity nearly carried her downwards. She quickly scrambled to pull herself back in.
She felt it happen before she even saw it. Lifting her head, her eyes confirmed that it was true. The little red flower, which had remained affixed behind her ear through all of her troubles in the forest, had fallen off and was being swept away by the sea breeze. Roxy only had a few seconds to watch it lazily drift through the air before another gust of wind reminded her that leaning out of this hole was not safe.
Roxy pulled her head back inside of the ship and fell back into a sitting position, her heart beating rather quickly. That had been a close call. What a pathetic end her story would have had if she had fallen overboard and drowned before the ship had even left port.
She then reached up a paw behind her ear, as if somehow the flower had magically come back, but all she felt was fur. A whine escaped her lips and she frowned. Her master had given her that flower on the day she had evolved into a Pikachu, and she had worn it ever since. It had been a gift that she treasured closely, and it hurt to see it flying away like that without anything she could do about it. Sure it was just a flower, but it meant something to her.
"Sorry, master…" she murmured. At least she still had her collar.
The Pikachu sat there for a moment with her back resting against a pipe. Her thoughts shifted to the other Pikachu she had left behind. Like it or not, it was going to take a couple of weeks for him to stop being on her mind constantly. They had grown so close, and had been on such an exciting adventure together, that before yesterday she had not even imagined going on without him.
It was so strange to be in a situation where she felt so happy and so sad at the same time. Going home on this boat meant so many wonderful, exciting things to her. It all had a price, though, and the price was leaving Taka behind. It would be worth it; there was not a single doubt in her head that it would absolutely be worth it. However, it still stung.
"Looks like I lost you both…" she whispered to no-one, and then chuckled softly. "Watch over him, okay Makari? I think you and I both want to see him smile again…"
A loud clunk interrupted her thoughts, sounding like it came from the hull somewhere below her. She glanced around in confusion. A ship this big was bound to make weird noises here and there, yet it had been somewhat loud and noticeable. Her panicky mind couldn't help but remind her that the Titanic was a thing that had happened.
"Don't be stupid, Roxy," she said to herself, "There's no icebergs in the Castelia Harbor."
Another clunk could be heard. This one was closer to where she was. It sounded like someone had thrown a rock at the side of the ship. Confused, Roxy sat up straight and looked around. The first thing she noticed did not provide her with an answer. Rather, it left her even more confused.
The mooring line was taut.
When there was a third clunk, Roxy stood up and stepped over to the hole once more. Though she made sure not to stick her head too far out and risk falling out again, she did peek out and look down at the hull of the ship below her.
What she saw made her loudly gasp.
"…Taka?!"
To her confusion and utter disbelief, Taka was hanging below on the dangling mooring line. He was soaking wet, showing that he had jumped into the water and swam to catch up to the boat. He was already more than halfway up the line, and was only a short distance below her at this point. While Roxy gawked, he lifted his head up to face her and flashed her a smirk.
Gripped securely by his teeth was her flower.
"Taka, what are you doing?!"
In a matter of seconds, he ascended the rest of the line and ended up hanging onto the hole in the hull with one of his forepaws. With the other, he grabbed the flower from his mouth and handed it towards her. "I believe you dropped this."
Roxy stared in slackjawed shock for a moment, and then her brain restarted and she grabbed onto Taka by his outstretched wrist. With her help, he was able to climb through the hole and join her in the ship's interior. "Taka, you…!" She was at a loss for words.
Glancing down, she saw that he was still offering her the flower. She took it from him and gently cradled it in her paws. "I…" She looked up into the other Pikachu's eyes, still not quite processing the fact that he was actually there. "Taka, I…appreciate it, but you didn't have to do this. What're you, nuts?"
He smirked again and shook his head. "I know how important that is to you."
Roxy glanced down at the flower in her paws once more. It wasn't even very wet. She considered how much time had passed since she had lost it, and how far the boat had already been from the dock, but the numbers didn't make sense in her head. One thing did make sense to her though, as her gaze shifted to the hole.
"Well…Taka, go! You'd better swim back before we get too far out! Go before it's too late!"
Taka's expression softened a little, and he turned around to face the hole. He poked his head out just a little, and looked back towards where the dock was. Strangely, he didn't seem to be in a rush at all. He appeared completely calm, and stood there in silence for almost thirty seconds before saying anything.
"No," he said with a quiet sigh, "It is too late already. Even I cannot swim that far."
Roxy promptly stood up and bullied her way past him so she could look back at the dock. It was far in the distance at this point, and getting further away with every second.
Stepping back, Roxy found that all she could do was look at Taka dumbly. The facts were all there, but they weren't sitting right in her head. What was happening before her right now didn't feel like it was real.
"Taka…"
He turned to face her. Roxy couldn't see an ounce of stress anywhere in his expression. He looked as calm as the waters they were currently sailing through. She couldn't tell if he was actually calm or not, though. She knew how well he wore his masks.
"Taka, I'm so sorry…" she spoke softly. This was really happening, wasn't it? Letting her flower get blown off in the wind had inadvertently caused Taka to join her on this ship with no chance to get off until it docked in Kanto, whether he liked it or not!
However, his smirk returned once more and he snickered at her. "Sorry for what?" he asked.
Roxy blanked for a moment. "Taka…If we're too far out for you to swim back, then…then you can't go back. You won't be able to go back to Castelia. There isn't going to be a chance for you to get off until…" Her frown worsened. "Taka, we're going to another continent! Your…The forest is…"
He looked back at her with a neutral expression.
"Taka…Your home…"
The larger Pikachu cast one last glance out the hole at the retreating harbor and shook his head. "Ah, well," he said, speaking remorselessly, "I wanted to see the world, did I not?" He regarded her. "Your home is part of the world, after all."
Roxy stared at him for a few quiet moments as the pieces slowly fit themselves together in her mind. "So, you…" She spoke in a careful voice, as if admitting the truth would somehow change it. "You're…coming with me…?" She gulped past a lump in her throat. "…to Kanto?"
When she looked up at him, it became all the more clear to her that there wasn't any regret to be seen on the stalwart Pikachu. If she looked closely, she could almost swear that he was smiling too. A smile of her own started to appear as she re-worded her question.
"You…want to come with me to Kanto?"
Taka chuckled softly. "It appears that way…"
Roxy proceeded to squeal loudly with joy and leap right onto Taka, gripping him in the tightest hug she had ever given him. He was soaking wet, and doing this left her with quite a lot of damp fur, but she didn't care in the slightest.
"Ah, hey…! Easy now…" Taka complained.
Roxy simply squeezed tighter, almost as if she was afraid to let him go. She couldn't believe her own fortune. She didn't have to say goodbye! Taka was going to come with her to Kanto, which meant that he was going to come with her to Vermillion City!
"Pet, come on. Stop this…"
She lifted her head to look at him, but didn't release him from her hug. She wanted to say something to him, but wasn't sure how to get the words to come out. She had just ridden an extreme example of an emotional rollercoaster, and it left her somewhat dizzied. Things were so confusing and muddled in her head that she just decided to focus on what she knew for sure.
Taka was staying.
As her hug continued on and showed no signs of stopping, Taka grumbled softly and let out an exasperated sigh. Then, after a few more moments of silence, he spoke in a quiet voice. "I cannot deny…that I would have missed you too much." He placed one of his paws across her back, as a sort of halfway attempt at hugging her back. "You…are my friend, Roxy. I feel like, perhaps it is too soon to sever that tie…"
Wow.
This was too much.
Roxy felt like she was about to just melt into a sappy little puddle of sunshine and rainbows. She sniffled, cursing the fact that she was crying yet again, and nodded her head vigorously. "I'm so happy to hear you say that, Taka! It would hurt too much to lose a friend like you. I know it might not be exactly what you'd planned, but I promise that you're going to love my home. There's so much to see and do in Kanto, and I can show it all to you!"
"Mm…" Taka mused softly, "I look forward to it…"